The Greatest Mystery of All
by WhateverNever
Summary: Rise decides to form the team once again to solve a new mystery; what is up with everyone's hair?
1. Chapter 1

"I announce the reformation of the Investigation Team, effective immediately!"

Everyone at the table eyed her wearily, and a few others besides, though that was more from the spectacle of an idol loudly announcing something in a crowded food court. Rise sat back down, with a puzzled look at her audience.

"What?" Rise pouted, "I thought you guys would be thrilled to have something new to do…" She scrunched up her face. She had expected cheers when she got the group back together, not the frosty reception she was receiving from her senpai. Though it did fit the weather, which was kinda cute, she thought.

Yosuke was the first to respond. "Reform? But why would we need to?" He leaned back in his chair, rocking it back and forth. "We got that bastard Adachi, and the town's been pretty much normal for the past month since then. What's your game, Kujikawa?"

Rise gasped, looking deeply hurt at Yosuke. "What, you think I can't have found a new case? The text I sent you all explained everything! And what do you mean game?" She looked pleadingly at her friends around the table. "I don't do that kind of thing, right guys?"

Everyone distinctly avoided her gaze. Yukiko smartly tried to change the subject. "Rise-chan, the message we received just said we had to meet at Junes right away and it was serious business." She narrowed her eyes. "And you left us waiting here for twenty minutes before you even showed up!"

"I was just finishing my notes" the idol said, "I'm taking this investigation very seriously!"

Yosuke was looking exasperated, "What investigation?!" he exclaimed, "There is literally no reason for us all to be here!" He scanned the table "How did Noato and Souji manage to get out of this anyway? If you're doing anything like a new case- which, by the way, you're not- they're the only ones who can actually handle all that stuff."

"I am very disappointed with your lack of faith in me," Rise said, grabbing something from her bag. "For your information, those two aren't here because they're the ones we're gonna catch!" She placed the board she had grabbed, and despite themselves, the team all leaned over the table to take a look.

On it were sticky notes, with sickeningly sweet handwriting, complete with hearts dotting the paper and little doodles accentuating the language, all centred around two profiles on either side of the board. They were Souji and Noato, both being blurry headshots, which looked like they were taken at Aiya's, without the consent of the subjects'.

"The hell is this…" Kanji muttered. "The hell are these notes? 'No run over?' 'Completely covered'? 'No split ends'? The crap are you up to, Rise?"

Chie nodded in agreement. "Are you spying on them Rise-chan? Because that's just weird. And why do all the notes seem to focus on their their -"

"HAIR!" The team jumped, turning around to see Rise with her feet on the table, and an old-fashioned wooden pipe clamped between her lips.

"Er, Rise?" Yukiko began to ask, perplexed, "What's with the… You know."

She smiled. "Felt appropriate is all. I wanted to get one of those hats as well, but nowhere in Okina had them." She winked at Kanji. "I'm sure you can cook something up for me, hmm?"

Kanji started to daydream about all the patterns he could use to make a kick ass deerstalker, but stopped himself when he realised she was trying to distract him. "So, what, you're saying we're… _Investigating… _Senpai and Naoto's hair. But- I mean… just… what?"

"Oh come on," smiled Rise, "You've wanted to investigate her hair for like ever now!" This earnt her a deep blush and some dark muttering from Kanji. Undaunted, she addressed the group at large. "I mean, aren't you guys a little curious? I mean, Senpai's hair is grey and he hasn't even finished high school yet, while Naoto-kun's is blue. BLUE!" She looked incredulously at the group. "You all seriously never found that odd?"

The team all looked at each other, not willing to admit that Rise actually had a point. They went through the hardest year of their lives with though two, knowing the team better than their own families because of it, but they really never thought about the pair's distinctly odd hairstyles? "It is a little weird when you think about it" Yosuke mused, "But how the hell do we investigate that? Try and sneak in on their morning routine? Get some of their hair and take it to some lab? Besides, I think this is the kind of thing Naoto would kill us for if we ever asked."

"Who cares! We must solve this elaborate mystery once and for all!" Teddie cried. He had been quiet up until now, but the excitement of a new case brought out his theatrical side. He danced over to Rise and stood behind her chair, showing his full support. "We'll do what we always do! Talk about it and then go ask people a bunch of stuff!" He waved his hand with a flourish. "With the beautiful Rise-chan leading the investigation, and the heroic Teddie by her side, we'll solve this mystery once and for all!" He beamed in delight. "This hairy adventure will no doubt be a bear-y thrilling tale!"

Rise got up and high fived her new partner. "All right Teddie!" She cast a disappointed look at the rest of her friends. "At least _someone_ is interested. Come on guys, it'll be fun!"

Yosuke looked at everyone's face to try and gauge what they were thinking. He didn't want to admit it, but things had been boring since the real case was solved, and the team had really not met up as much as they probably should have now they didn't have that keeping them together. He looked to the sky and sighed, then assumed his usual cocksure smile. "Sure," he said, "Why not? Might be fun to see if we can beat those two know it all at their own game."

Chie nodded with him. "If I wanna be a cop I gotta take some small cases. This is as about small as you can get!" Chie nudged her best friend beside her. "What about you, Yukiko?"

The Amagi heiress looked uncertain. "Do we really want to be prying on our friend's personal matters this much? They probably wouldn't be too happy about it…"

Kanji spoke up maybe a little too quickly. "Y-yeah! A man's hair is his own damn business!" He realised he slammed the table with the palm, and shrunk at the strange looks everyone was giving him, except for Rise, who's smug face gave Kanji an uncontrollable shiver. "I, uh, what I mean is t-that, uh, it's their problem, not ours, right? If it's dyed or not, who cares? Not like it means nothin'" Everyone was still staring, but Rise's devilish grin got too large to stay shut.

"Aw, Kanji-kun, don't worry about your secret!" she trilled, Yosuke suddenly shooting up at the prospect of fresh gossip. She could have sworn that Kanji's gaze could melt ice at this point, well, if the crimson his cheeks didn't first. "But, I suppose I have to prove to the team why I should be taking the lead in this case..." Pipe in hand, she winked at the supposed blonde, who she could swear had lasers coming out of his eyes. "Show my expertise right?" The punk silently prayed for her to shut up to any deity who would listen, but apparently they were far more interested in what she had to say. The she-devil smiled. "Seriously, you think after years in showbiz I wouldn't have picked up on the bleach? Come on, your eyebrows are still black!"

Teddie gasped with shock, while Kanji slammed his head on the table, wishing he was dead, for at least the next ten minutes. Yosuke looked like he won the jackpot. Chie was trying to stop herself smirking, and failing miserably. Yukiko looked awestruck. "Of course!" She smacked herself on the forehead. "So that's why it always felt weird when I think about when we were younger; I completely forgot your hair's naturally black!"

"Yup, looks like the only natural blonde we get is Ted over here!" Rise looked at Kanji's motionless body with a tinge of concern. "Come oooon, Kanji, you were bound to be rumbled sooner or later. You totally rock the blond by the way, even if your hair is probably decaying from drowning it in gel every morning!" She cheerfully tilted her head. "So, now are you gonna help us!"

The despondent boy slowly lifted his head up to glare at the girl who kept ruining his life. "Why the hell would I do that now?!" he seethed.

"Because if you bleach yours, surely you'll feel better knowing if Naoto-kun dyes hers!" He stared at her, trying to find a retort, but she got him, as she knew she would. "Unless of course, you're okay thinking you put more effort into your hair than she does with hers?"

"No! But—it doesn't… Dammit." He scowled at the floor. "You win."

"Great!" She began to squeal in excitement, but caught herself, and instead took a professional air. "Now, I shall be following various leads to get to the bottom of this tangled web of lies and deceit. I shall be in contact with you all if I need you in my inquiry. I expect complete loyalty to your new, fabulous, leader. No slacking! Now, Lieutenant Teddy, with me!"

The boy saluted. "Yes Ma'am!" he cheered, and the pair marched right out of the food court, leaving the others still slightly confused as to what had exactly happened over the last few minutes.

Yosuke caught Kanji's eye, and before he even managed a teasing smiled he was greeted with a growling "Shut it." He once again leaned back in his chair, wisely turning his grin away from certain destruction. The next few days were going to be _interesting_.

* * *

Hoped you liked it if you took the time to read through it. I'm not really sure where I can go with this from here, so don't expect any updates if this gripping tale has you on the edge of your seat.

But seriously, cheers for taking a look, first time showing off this stuff and all. Hopefully I can make showing stuff a regular thing!


	2. Chapter 2

"So, detective Kujikawa, how shall we proceed in this perilously perplexing case?"

Rise exhaled. "You see, that's where I get stuck." The girl was pacing up and down the bank of the Samegawa, kicking up dust with her slightly frantic stamps. "I mean, I knew I looked totally on top of everything in Junes, but I was putting on a little Risette to sell it. I don't actually have any kind of plan." She scowled, pulling the pipe angrily out of her mouth and shaking it wildly in front of her companion. "And this thing doesn't do anything like it does in the movies!"

Teddie looked baffled. "It does something? Wow, that's incredible!" He snatched wooden object from her hand and inspected it fiercely. "I thought it was like a hat for your teeth, you know," he said, accentuating with his hands, "fashion! So, what's it supposed to do?"

"You know, the cop uses it, smoke comes out, than he takes it out and BAM!" she exclaimed, making Teddie jump in exactly the way she hoped. "They've worked it all out!"

"Smoke comes out?" Teddie gasped, wide eyed. "Isn't that dangerous? What if it catches fire?"

"Silly Teddie," Rise laughed, "It's not the pipe that burns!"

"Then what does?"

Unfortunately, as Rise had proven with her embarrassing evening with non-alcoholic drinks, her knowledge of the adult world mainly consisted of what made her albums sell and how to do more of that. She settled on deflecting the question. "I dunno Ted," she said shrugging, "maybe it's like the stuff in scented candles? Like Potpourri maybe? Anyways, we're getting sidetracked here, I need your help."

Teddie was beginning to lick the pipe (after all, investigations had to be _thorough_), but he couldn't hope to resist the call of a pretty girl, and stood to attention. He puffed up his chest and pounded it in uncharacteristically macho fashion, crying "I am yours to command, Leader!"

"Hah, leader!" She paused. "I guess it does have a nice ring to it…" Rise couldn't help but smile at being given the same title Souji-Senpai had earned over his months on the last investigation. All in the space of a couple hours as well, albeit from the most easily lead member of the group. "Hmm, I guess you're my partner then! Just like Yosuke and Senpai!"

Teddie could barely (_Bear-ly_, he corrected in his head) contain his excitement, and was on the edge of giving her a potentially fatal bear hug, but then he decided to turn on some of his trademark and oft in demand smoulder. "Why, _Rise-chan_, so we are." His voice went low, and his eyebrows began to illustrate every word coming out of his mouth. "With the raw sexual tension in that last partnership, how can we hope to keep our carnal desires in check? Maybe it should be resolved, as our first piece of business, hmm?"

Of course, as alluring as he was, it did not have the desired effect, and just left Rise doubled up in laughter. "Puhahahahaha, oh- Bwahahaha, oh man…" She tried to regain her composure, which she did, just. "Well, as my subordinate, I cannot get involved on principle, but…" She raised a mischievous eyebrow, raising the boys' hope to critical levels. "But I just can't resist your- " And then she lost it again, forcing her to the floor, tears in her eyes, leaving Teddie to flop down by her in a sulk.

Rise was laughing for a full minute before the mirth died and she could force some words out. "Come on, *_snk*, _we're not like them." She snorted. "Yosuke was always trying to look good in front of Senpai. Even went as far as actually studying! Not that it ever worked," she said smiling, but quietly adding, "even for me." She brightened up quickly however. "We're more like a team! Kicking shadow ass and being fabulous!" She lightly punched him on the shoulder, but he was unusually unresponsive. This worried her. "Hey, Ted?" she scooted over closer to him. "What's up?"

He just sighed, trying to pick the right words. "Well, I try bear-y hard at being a hot stud like Yuki-chan taught me, but the fact is it doesn't work at all! You girls have never so much as smooched me!"

"Oh, come on Teddie, you're being ridiculous! Everyone at the store likes you, and if you aren't getting any action, well, no one is!" Rise paused. "Wait, Yukiko taught you that?"

"W-well, her shadow did at least. And the whole point was that our shadows were us, right? So I guess it was her, a little bit of her at least?" That side of the TV world still confused even him_, _especially considering he was a shadow, once at least. He gazed at the horizon, deep in thought. Was there someone out there whose dark thoughts he was born from?

That just made his brain hurt, so he focused on his last train of thought. He looked at Rise. "But scoring has never actually works for me. That sparkling thing I can do people seem to like, but that doesn't last, then every guy around looks really mad at me." He sighed, and looked at the dirt past his friend. "I still worry you guys only stick with me because I made Sensei make that promise. That one day you'll all go away and I'll be all alone again…" He moved his head and caught her eyes. "I don't want to be alone again."

Rise put her arm around her confused little friend. "Aw, Teddie, don't think like that. Me and the other guys love you! Sure, they might not be able to keep up with you as much as I can, but that's just so… hmm… oh, I got it, dynamic!" she beamed and nodded at him, continuing, "Only a megastar like me can keep up with you!" The pop star winked and rubbed his shoulder. "Besides, a couple years and you'll be scoring left and right, trust me!"

Teddie looked up with a glint in his eyes, his bottom lip trembling. "With girls like Yukiko-chan?"

"Like her and more!" She flashed her best smile. "You'll be wishing you had time alone with all the attention you'll be getting! And the team will always be together, no matter where we all are."

The boy looked at her in awe, whispering to himself, "Never alone again…" The relief it brought was so overwhelming, it caused him to grab Rise in the biggest bear hug he could started bawling into her shoulder, crying unintelligible things about the rest of the team and how much he loved them all individually. She gently pried him off of her, where he gave her a funny look. "Hey Rise? Why am I your partner on this case?" He resumed his usual cheery and eternally bemused expression, completely forgetting the mild episode he had ten seconds ago. "I mean, even out of the rest of the guys, it's only in the TV where this Teddie can really shine!"

Again she laughed, which was one of the reasons she loved hanging out with Teddie, and explained. "You've got the best hair out of everyone in the group, so you're the closest thing we have to an expert!" She watched him well with pride with that complement, completely forgetting the episode he had five seconds ago. "Besides, you grew your own right? When you, um… Made? That?" She pointed up and down her friend's body. "That's gotta mean something, right?"

Teddie scratched his head. "Well, I did do that, but there wasn't anything special to it. I mean, I just kept doing crunches and made a body. Anyone can do that right?"

Rise decided to not bother going into the impossibility of the thing in the first place. "Maybe, I'm just thinking why it came out as it did. I mean, you didn't even know what a model was when you were in the TV by yourself right?" The bear turned boy nodded. "So why'd you come out with the style of one? And from that-"

"I look like a model?" Teddie interrupted, his eyes becoming two stars.

"Bad Teddie!" She flicked him. "No interruptions! So as I was saying, if you didn't know what you were doing when making yourself, what are Senpai and Naoto-kun thinking when making their hair how it is?"

Teddie thought hard. "Teddie just came out as Teddie. I don't think there's anything more to that. For those other two…" He bit his tongue as he channelled his mental energy, to an unsettling degree from where Rise was sitting. Then he raised his hand. "OH, oh! I have an idea!"

"Come on then!" she encouraged, "Let's hear it partner!"

"Well, Yosuke's mom has these magazine right? Kind of like the ones he has under his bed, but with men too, and all those people are richer than the girls in his magazines."

"Richer?"

"They must be, because they can afford more clothes!" Teddie, who thought he made a brilliant deduction there, barrelled through before Rise could interject. "Anyway, there were all these articles, talking about how all these celebrities are getting better with age. And the pictures were all of men with grey hair! Don't you get it?"

"So, you're saying-"

"Sensei's hair must be grey so to help him score with chicks!" He exclaimed, crossing his arms smugly. "Of course as you said, a Teddie doesn't need such aids, but with all the girls Sensei knows, it must be working!"

"Hmm, I think you could be on to something." She smirked a little, pushing aside the slight pang of jealousy at yet more confirmation that Risette wasn't Souji's number one girl. "It does look good on him… And when he gets older, WOW, he is gonna look-" She noticed she was hyperventilating and calmed herself with the mental image of Yosuke. "Ok, so, that gives us a solid case for Senpai. What about for Naoto-kun?"

"Well, I have another incredible deduction!" Feeling on a roll with his ideas, he spoke with confidence. "Perhaps when she met me and saw how soft and luscious my fur was, she decided to go Teddie style!" He looked at Rise, smiling. "I'm surprised she's the only one with the courage to admit it, she's usually the one to cover up that sort of stuff. The rest of you guys should be more open about it; I can give you all the best tips on how to be like me!"

Rise was quietly giggling to herself. "Nice idea Ted, but her hair was blue way before she ever met you, she came into town before you started working a Junes, remember?"

Teddie was ever so slightly crestfallen. "Oh, I forgot about that…" He shrugged happily. "Sometimes this brain can work so fast it can't catch up with itself!"

"You can't win them all, but hey, one out of two is pretty good!" She rubbed her temples, like Naoto did a lot. She didn't see the point as it just gave her headache, but she was just hoping inspiration would hit her. Somehow it worked, and she got an excited tingle just as Teddie had. "I got it! You know how Naoto's always playing killjoy and using big words?" Teddie nodded, having the same feelings as Rise towards her attitude. "Well, it's all supposed to be an act so she looks good in front of the other cops right? I bet her hair's blue just because she loves being dramatic all the time!"

Teddie nodded enthusiastically. "That's has to be it, Rise-chan, it all makes sense now! The aggression, the awkwardness, the complete silence to my bear-iffic puns!"

"Exactly!" Rise folded her arms, as smug as anything. "She's trying so hard to be serious she's being ridiculous! Blue hair, I mean, no offense Ted, but it's just silly, and I'm an idol for heaven's sake." She stopped however. "We've got the motives, but we still need hard evidence…"

"Yeah, catch them in the act," Teddie agreed, "But we can't wait for things to happen on the midnight channel this time around…"

Rise smiled. "You know what this means Ted?"

She looked at him, although it took him a while to suss out what she was trying to say. When he realised, he beamed with the thrill of the thing. They both raised their hands and jumped together in a ecstatic high five, cheering simultaneously "WOO, STAKEOUT!"

* * *

AN: So, again, thanks for reading, any feedback is appreciated! Got at least a couple more chapters in mind for this, I don't think I can pull it out for any longer without going stale... We'll see what happens!


	3. Chapter 3

"So, Rise-chan, why exactly have you dragged me out here?" The hooting of an owl and the quiet jingle of charms around the neighbourhood made her shiver. '_No, that isn't the reason, _Chie thought. _I__t's that I'm outside Souji's house at an outrageous hour in the middle of friggin' winter!_ Currently she's was lying under a bush, with an unused notepad redundantly laid out on her right and a pair of binoculars on her left. Her, utterly insane, she decided, friend was kicking her heels beside her like the school girl she was, well, more like the one she played up for TV.

"I told you already, we're following up leads in the pursuit of evidence!"

Chie rolled her eyes. "You and Teddie's crazy ideas do not count as 'leads'. And what, so we're just stalking Souji-kun now? How does this accomplish anything?"

"_Stalking_?" Rise gasped at Chie, deeply offended. "This is covert surveillance!" She raised a dramatic arm. "This is the work of spies, the work of private investigators, the work of heroes in the shadows who seek the truth!" Lifting an eyebrow, she looked at her wryly. "I thought you wanted to be a cop?"

"Well, yeah …" Chie knew this was exactly the kind of training she needed for a future in the police force, and more importantly the ass-kicking that comes with it, but this wasn't what she had in mind, at all. "No! This completely steps over some sort of line!"

"You guys all piled over me as soon as I came into town," She noted, "It's not like we never crossed some boundaries for the greater good!"

"You can't _seriously_ use that as a defense. You were being targeted by a killer! Well, Nametame at least, but besides, how does this relate to any kind of greater good?"

"Well, you're here now, so be a little into it!" The idol flashed a devilish smile. "If you aren't, I'll scream, and you'll be the one explaining to Senpai why you're taking notes outside his house!"

Chie was fast, but she still didn't fancy her chances against Rise-Kujikawa working at maximum evil-efficiency. "_Fine_," she sighed,_ "_But next time, make it Yosuke you're dragging along for this kinda stuff…"

Her adversary giggled. "I thought so. So, Sergeant Satonaka, what can you make out?"

Chie mumbled something about being at least a captain as she put the binoculars to eyes. "A whole lot of nothing,_" _She observed, then added, with measures of disdain, "_Sir. _Seriously, what are you expecting to see here?"

"Clues, breakthroughs, evidence…" She listed cheerfully. "That kind of stuff."

"So in short, you have no idea. Wonderful. I could be studying new fighting techniques right now, but oh no, I have to be out here, catching pneumonia with a crazy pop star…"

Rise pouted, and pointed accusingly at her new dogsbody. "Oh don't give me that. 'Learning techniques' is your way of trying to make a movie binge sound not like a total waste of time. This is much more fun!"

The jab really got to Chie, whose voice started getting louder. "What are you talking about, this isn't fun!" The girl in green started speaking slightly hysterically, and much quicker. "This is just a wild goose chase- I mean who goes spying on their friends, what the hell is wrong with you- just- OHMYGOD, Rise, can't you just-"

"When was the last time we were together like this?" Rise spoke quietly but it cut through Chie's rant, bringing silence, where her quiet dialogue filled the available space. "Every day for the past few weeks you've been either been with Yukiko doing the same stuff you've done since middle school, or working out, alone. Don't ask me how I know." She glanced over to Chie, who opened her mouth to defend herself, but no words were forthcoming. "Face it, we've all been in a rut after the case ended, and I wanted to do something other than work in the shop and wait for my turn for Souji-Senpai to hang out with me..."

Chie wanted to say something, but everything she just heard rung so true it rendered her utterly speechless. She was always hoping her cell would buzz with news of Seta wanting another training session, but that was few and far between. She could only reply with honesty herself. "No offense, but it's not like we were ever spent time together anyway…"

Rise's face lit up on cue. "Which is why I wanted to rectify that, Chie-Senpai- you're so awesome!" The martial artist was visibly startled at the sudden praise, which she only ever heard when she was next to Yukiko, or Seta, and never directed to the girl in the track jacket beside them. "Anyone who can make Kanji quake in his boots is someone amazingly tough! Plus, you're the only person I've ever seen who can pull off that shade of green, I mean I can't even do it, no matter how much I try." Rise shuddered. "That was one _horrible _photoshoot…"

Chie worked to try and contain the blossoming blush on her cheeks. She started to look past what she usually saw, the feeble girl clawing after Souji, the diva who the boys swooned over in a way she could hope to match. She didn't see Risette, she saw Rise, another young girl, just like her. She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rise-chan, I really shouldn't have snapped." She sighed. "You're right, I guess I have been going nuts over the past few weeks, and I haven't actually been doing anything about it. This beats staying at home another night- anyway…" She watched her breath condense in the night air, which Rise playfully blew away.

"Now you're getting it!" She pulled up her best smile. "Anyway, even without all that stuff, who else would I bring to a _Steak_-out?!"

The carnivore smirked in spite of herself, turning it to a light-hearted groan, while the idol looked far too proud of herself. "You've been spending way too much time with Teddie."

"OH!" Rise exclaimed, rifling through her pockets, "That reminds me, I've got to check how team two is doing!"

"Err, team two?"

"Well of course!" She pressed her speed dial "There are two suspects in this investigation after all!"

* * *

On the edge of town, a similar scene was unfolding, except this pair were stuck up a tree, shaking as they fought over the best spot on the branch.

"Kanji!" Teddie wailed, "My delicate _bear_ behind can't take it! Let me have the smooth spot!"

"Quiet down idiot!" the punk hissed. He didn't even want to be here, but more importantly, he did _not _want to be caught. "Fine! Take your goddamn seat!" He awkwardly scooted across the branch, leaving Teddie to slide across and purr as he perched on his new spot.

"Thank you Kanji-kun! As Rise-chan's deputy, I'll be sure to mention this on my official report!"

Kanji grunted, not wanting to dignify any of Teddie's mindless gibberish with a response. The six-foot high schooler actually had his jacket on for once- desperate times call for desperate measures after all. He was surprised when Teddie showed up on his doorstep a couple hours ago, babbling about an investigation and a stakeout. He only started paying attention once he caught Naoto's name in the middle of it all, by which point he allowed himself to be dragged down the street so his mom wouldn't be woken up. The punk had completely forgotten, or maybe repressed, Rise's gathering in the food court, and only connected the two once the tarmac began to make way for dirt and grass, leading to the detective's temporary abode. Naoto's rental suited her perfectly, he decided; separated from everything else in town, with a mysterious air that just begs questions.

The fact her lodgings were only temporary irritated Kanji to no end. Sure, she'd stay for now, but a big juicy murder would send her running away from everyone she met in the last six months, which was just unfair, dammit. He was still slightly confused about what she meant to him and subsequently even more worried about what he'd do if he ever worked that out. But he dodged that train of thought routinely, like he had been doing for the last six months, and focussed on whatever the hell he'd been dragged out here for. He peered at the lonely shack. The lights were on, but he couldn't see anything moving through the windows, or really make out what was inside. He nudged his companion. "So, uh, what are we err, you know, lookin' for?"

Teddie looked blankly. "I dunno. If I'm honest I just heard the word stakeout and got super excited!" He stroked his chin. "Maybe she'll go in the shower and put the dye in… Say Kanji, how _does_ hair dye work? Kanji?"

The man himself was too busy shaking and gasping. Oh _shit_. He had never even considered what spying on Naoto would mean, never even got close thinking he'd see her. In her _bathroom_. Where she'd be- Oh god. He had to get out of here, but wait, then Teddie would see her and he wouldn't, and that would be even worse, but then-

"Hello? Kanji?"

"Buh?" was his only reply, brain dangerously close to breaking.

"So how does hair dye work? Do you eat it and POOF, a shinier set of locks, or do you just dunk your head in paint?" He squinted at Kanji, wondering why he was so distracted. He laid an arm across his friend's twitching shoulders. "You'll know all about it, Kanji-chan, you look even blonder than me, and I'm '_au naturale'_!"

"Shut it!" He yelled in a whisper, which created a sound that would have been funny as long as you were a safe distance away from the tall teen making it. "That ain't even how dye works, you gotta be careful and let it soak for an hour or so and…" He suddenly remembered why he was freaking out. "Shitshitshit, we gotta get out of here man, you know what she'll do if she sees us?"

That last part was slightly strangled, but Teddie proudly shook his head. "No sir! That is the risk we must take in seeking the truth!" Kanji had become mute again, and Teddie tipped his head in disappointment. "And you're language Kanji! A gentleman must refrain from using such coarse language! Why, someone would think you didn't want to move up in this organization!"

"What organization?"

The pair sprung up, nearly clashing their heads together. The voice had come from below them, meaning they weren't being as good investigators as they, (well, just Teddie), thought, and even worse than that, it was _very _familiar. They stared at each other in dread, as the voice addressed them again.

"Teddie?" Naoto didn't sound perturbed in the slightest, like two boys camping out in a tree outside her abode was a completely normal occurrence. "What are you and Kanji-kun doing here at this time of night?"

"Oh sh-" The boy began, before remembering his scolding of Kanji. "Crap," he finished lamely. The latter's eyes had began budging out of his head, grabbing Teddie's arm out of uncontrollable mix of rage and fear. Unfortunately for both, he lunged into it too aggressively, ruining their balance and sending them tumbling out of the tree, yelping. They both hit the ground with a solid thud, and began to groan with the pain, but stopped when they saw they landed at the feet of the Detective Prince.

She looked at them with a neutral expression on her face, though Kanji could swear he saw a hint of pity flash across for a second. "I'll ask again, what business do the two of you have here?"

Fortunately for him, who was beginning to babble a stream blaming Rise and how it totally wasn't how it looks, Teddie recovered remarkably quickly, and sprung daintily to his feet. "Nao-chan, you're okay! We were so worried about you!"

Now she was curious. "Worried? Did you think I had fallen ill?"

If Teddie was any more of a cartoon character than he was, a light bulb would have lit up on top of his head. "Oh of course!" He grabbed her in a relieved hug, which she quickly scrambled out of. "I heard you came down with something and Kanji-chan was bear-y worried, so we decided to check up on you!"

Naoto was still recovering from the breach of her personal space, but she could see through that story regardless. "Illness? Where would you have gotten that impression? I have been attending classes as normal..."

Teddie lightly clapped Kanji on his back, who had finally got to his feet, shooting daggers with his eyes all the while. "Silly Kanji, you were worried all over nothing!" The daggers were now battleaxes, as the detective surveyed the pair suspiciously.

"Your reasoning does not make one iota of sense. What were you really-"

She was interrupted by a muffed ringtone, coming from the boys in front of her. Teddie hastily pulled the phone out of his pocket, flipping it open and placing it on his ear. "Rise-chan? Oh she's totally fine, we'll run over and tell you all about it!" The conversation ended abruptly, with him flipping the phone once more and placing it back in his trousers. He smiled at Naoto, rapidly chattering, "Well, Rise-chan was worried too so I better tell her you're ok, see ya!"

Before she could even react, he sped off, leaving her and Kanji too gawp at each other incredulously. _You have two options Tatsumi, he thought, honesty, or getting the hell outta here! _A glance too close into her eyes decided this for him, so he mumbled a faint apology, and sped off to catch his friend.

This left her alone outside her shack, where she chuckled dryly to herself, and took out her own cell to message Souji…

* * *

Rise squinted at her phone. "What's wrong?" Chie asked.

"It's weird, I got Teddie on the line, but he started talking gibberish and hung up on me. I never even got a word in!" She huffed. "That bear is getting a stern talking to at our next meeting!"

Chie hummed. "He's a confusing little thing isn't he?" She paled. "Wait, you don't think Naoto found them, do you?"

Rise guffawed. "Of course not! Ted's a little slow, but he wouldn't have been caught that easily! Not with Kanji around anyway!" She waved her friend's concerns away with a dainty hand. "Now, back to spying!"

"You teamed him with Kanji-kun? That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen." Her sub-ordinate raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I thought this was 'covert surveillance'?"

She shushed her. "Less talky, more looky!"

A smile creeping on the corner of her lips, Chie put the binoculars to her eyes. "Well, still can't see anything… Wait! He's coming to the window!"

Rise's eyes brightened! "Perfect! Anything suspicious afoot, Sergeant?"

Chie shook her head, the binoculars still fixed to her brow. "No, he's just looking at the floor; he might be checking his phone, I guess?" Just then, Rise's pocket buzzed, and her stomach sank like a stone. "Now he's… Crap!" Their grey haired leader was smiling as waved his hand directly at shrubby hideaway. "He's looking right at me! Oh man, has he seen us?"

"Uh huh," Rise replied numbly. Chie put the binoculars down, as Rise passed her phone across without even looking at her. The message read '_Meeting at Junes tomorrow. Pass this to Chie.'_

The girls looked each other, slightly shocked, but mostly defeated. Chie was already counting the taunts Yosuke would be throwing out, and could only offer two words to the distraught looking Rise. "Well, darn."

* * *

AN: Thanks once again for reading, I really appreciate it! Sorry if the whole thing seems a little rushed, I've got one more chapter do do of this then I'll be trying to follow up on a couple other ideas I have, one which will be very apparent at the end of this tale. See you then!


	4. Chapter 4

The alarm rang far too early. 11AM is early for a pop star after all. Rise groaned, and buried herself in her duvet to shut out the noise. Then she remembered last night, and dug herself even further into the fabric, creating a tangle that was dangerously close to the edge of the mattress. The 'meeting' would probably be at noon, like it always was during the last investigation. The real investigation. She began to sigh, which turned into a frustrated yell into her bedsheets. 'Meeting' was an excuse for her to be public dressed down, as show starring the one and only Risette, with the crowd, her senpai, pointing and laughing all the while. If they were anyone else, this would be a minor bump in the road, which she would cheerfully skip over. After all, she always greeted the tabloids with a smile and a wave when she was tearing up the charts. Her senpai however? That would be entirely different. Sure, they all saw her shadow, except for Naoto-kun, but they all knew how their darker sides operated. This was just embarrassing, where would she even start? She could hear them muttering, '_Poor Rise-chan, she just went a little too nuts over Souji this time'._ Which was sort of true, but it went deeper than that. She did go a little insane, but it wasn't just over Souji, it was over the whole team.

Slowly, she unwrapped herself from the sheets and groggily sat up by the side for her bed. She idly wondered what the response would have been if Naoto _had _seen her shadow. Rise smiled. The poor girl would have most likely exploded, or at the very least have been stammering for the whole encounter. The detective prince was so _cute _when she was flustered. The thought provoked a weak smile, and making a note to ask the diminutive detective for tips if she ever needed that kind of adorable for a photo shoot, she got to her feet and moved to get dressed, but stopped in the middle of her room.

You wouldn't get from Rise's room that she was Risette, one of Japan's many celebrities, but you would think she was impossibly popular. While her own merchandise was absent, her room was absolutely covered with the merchandise of her fellow idols, mementos of their time together on tour, but more than that, there were the photographs. Pasted wherever there was space, there were pictures, always of herself and others, whether they were with her manager, her fans, politicians looking for her support, diplomats who were not sure what to make for her, old friends from the music circuit, or, taking pride of place on her dresser, her pictures with her new friends from Inaba. She wandered over and sat down at the small white desk, which was another reminder of her life before fame rushed her to the stars. She glanced over the seven photos.

Teddie's was the best, objectively - living in a TV world all his life must have given him a gift with cameras. Showbiz was waiting for him, once a certain someone trained him right. She figured having someone else with her on the top would be fun.

Yukiko's was the most striking- Rise insisted on them both wearing their best yukata, so, she said, "We can both look mature. And super cute!" Her friend's objections to that had only been half hearted. It was nice that everyone, at least Yukiko could appreciate looking pretty, at least once in a while.

For Chie's, Rise made sure to set up the scene at Aiya's, so both of their smiles would be genuine. Sure, the meat stains on the green bomber jacket ruined things a little, but photographs are meant to capture emotions after all, at least when Rise took them, and the bliss of Chie in a meat coma was a sight to behold.

She could only get a shot with Yosuke when he was working, which was sort of fitting. For all of his complaints about his job, the way he's standing in the picture, broom in hand, arm around her shoulders, a goofy smile on his face, she knew he was pretty happy with his lot in life, since last April at least.

Kanji naturally had an apprehension to the camera, after all they were usually working against him, but enough gentle prodding, and eventually begging, got her the shot. The smile's too unnatural, and the body language is all wrong, but at least he tried. She liked that about him.

Naoto was similarly hard to pin down, so she resorted to a quick sneak n' snap approach. She had to do this for an entire week before getting the shot she wanted, which was paid back by a fortnight's cold shoulder. The picture at the end was worth it though, the surprised look on the detective's face showing just enough vulnerability to make her look human.

The final picture was, of course, with Souji, plus a special guest. He'd happily obliged to smile for the camera, which he did as perfectly as everything else he does, and just before she pressed the shutter, he waved someone else over. Nanako-chan was across the street, and she smiled just as wide as her big bro. Rise wasn't sure how cousins who had only known each other for less than a year could have as much love for each other as she could saw in the image, but maybe that's just their family. They're special. She knew he was.

Sighing, she stood up. They were all special, all amazing, everyone in the team, but then why had it all gotten so weird in the last couple months? _Hmmm… _she thought, and then resolutely slammed her left palm onto her right fist. _I got it! _Feeling happier now, she slid over to her dresser, and began to deliberate what she would wear. You have to look intimidating in front of your suspects, right?

* * *

The food court was bustling, as you would expect on a Sunday, with a large group sitting around the central table. One of the metal chairs was noticeably empty, and the conversation was rather sparse for a gathering this big. "You think she's gonna show?" Chie asked Yukiko, under her breath.

"Maybe not," Her best friend replied, with similar subtlety, "This might just be too weird for her. Then again, it's not like she was ever on time for any of the meetings last year."

"It's weird how tense this is. I mean, we were chasing a killer, but this feels way more, I dunno, ominous." She shivered in her jacket. "Why is Souji making such a big deal about it?"

"Why did she about his hair." Yukiko countered. She shook her head. "This whole thing sounds more and more ridiculous the more I think about it."

Chie nodded. "Yeah, I hope Rise-chan can handle it…"

The rest of the table was still silent, everyone looking unsure of themselves, except for their leader, who sat stoic as always. Teddie was the first to notice an odd looking woman coming out from the store, with a sharp black suit and tie combo, complete with leather briefcase. The fierce expression on her face left his eyes wide, and, noticing their friend's mouth agape, the others on the table quickly turned to the woman, well, the girl.

Yosuke, as usual, was the first to respond. "Rise? You're looking really-"

"Can it Hanamura!" The authority in her voice quelled the chances of anyone else responding, and she strode over to the table, slamming the briefcase down on its surface. "Okay punks! We're all here, so let's get everything out in the open. I'm doing the talking, capiche?"

Most of those attending were stunned, even the cool as cucumber detective prince. By contrast, Souji looked amused. When he waved his hand and simply said "Go on," she did not feel like he was making fun of her. With more confidence, she began to pace around the table, eyes locked on the grey haired boy.

"So, Souji-senpai. Grey? Kind of an odd choice right?"

He chuckled. "Implying it was a ch-"

She stopped him with a swift palm, and stern voice. "I'm doing the talking, remember?"

He raised his hands innocently, a coy eyebrow raised. "Yes ma'am."

The interrogation turned to Chie. "Witness number one. You have the same hairstyle as the first suspect, any particular insights into his actions?"

"W-what?!" She darted her vision to everyone else attending. "We do NOT have the same hairstyle, it's not even close!"

Unfortunately for her, the group was alternating between squinting between her and their leader. Kanji nodded absentmindedly. "Huh. I guess they both have that whole bowl thing going on…"

Yosuke was grinning. "Oh yeah, they just sweep it the other direction! Man, this is hil-"

Rise cut him off once again. "Can it Hanamura!" she repeated forcefully, leaving him to shrink, and her to address the rest of the group. "Let's put it to vote. All those who judge the pair to have the same haircut raise their hands."

The boys all raised their hands unceremoniously, while Noato and Yukiko slowly followed suit. "Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed.

"Sorry," She smirked, "But they kind of have a point." A deadly look from Rise stopped the fit before it spiralled out of control, and she awkwardly shifted in her seat.

"And even you Naoto-kun?" Chie tried, and failed, to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

The detective tugged her cap awkwardly. "I can only make a ruling based on the facts, and the evidence in front of me is rather… conclusive."

Chie could only respond by scrunching up her face. "Ugh, whatever. So, what, you think this makes me some kind of expert? What am I supposed to say? Maybe he does it so he looks more mature? How in the world am I supposed to know?"

Rise tutted. "I'm disappointed in you Chie. That obviously can't be the reason."

Chie was more annoyed at being dismissed than she ever would have expected "Why the hell not?"

"Souji doesn't drink." She stated simply. "When we were on the school trip to the city he could've got me to make the bar turn a blind eye, but he didn't. Besides, the only R-rated materials you can get over here are action movies, which are more your thing than his. He'd have no reason to dye his hair based on that."

Souji gave her an approving glance. "Well deduced, so what is the reason?"

She nodded back. "Well senpai, me and Teddie first thought it was something to make you stand out for the crowd, so you could, well, 'score'." She accented that last word with her fingers, and turned her head to Teddie, who was nodding enthusiastically. "The internet says it's called 'peacocking'. It would make sense, I mean, half the girls in town know you _very_ well." A slight blush formed on his cheeks, which rest of the table replied with using disapproving stares. Rise however shook her head. "All the guys talking about it sounded pretty desperate though, like they were trying way too hard. That doesn't fit you at all."

"Glad to see you have faith in me." He smile was unnervingly warm. "So overall…"

"Overall I have to conclude you just got unlucky with your genetics. Melanin deficiency, from what I looked up. On your father's side, I think, your uncle hasn't got a hint of grey on him." She zoned out for a few seconds, thinking of Dojima's _gorgeous _locks, before she remembered she was wearing the suit. She was being serious right now. "I think I've got that right at least."

Souji nodded. "Yeah, that fits. My dad's been grey as long as I can remember, and he had me pretty young." He sighed. "That's why I think his career's so important to him. Make up for lost time in the company…" He carefully shook himself out of his reverie and turned back to Rise. "Nice job by the way. Now, what can you tell us about our detective friend?"

Rise was expecting Naoto to protest, but the detective prince just looked bored, as if this whole scenario was a waste of her time, which, it admittedly was. "Please continue, Rise-chan, I must admit I am… Curious, as to what your conclusions are."

Was she testing her? Maybe, Naoto had a history of treating cases like games, prompting her to remember the conversation with Teddie by the river. "I came up with a theory with an associate. Teddie, explain it to them all."

The blonde sprang out of his seat and bounced over to Rise, happy to be involved as her deputy again. He stood at her side loyally. "Well_," _he began, deciding to pull from the courtroom dramas he saw on Yosuke's TV. "The scene was played on the banks of the Samegawa. The sun was sparkling on the slow moving water, but a dark shadow was looming over the horizon." The group silently groaned at his needless exposition, but he carried on regardless, becoming more ominous with every sentence. "Our friends, with whom we are closer than blood, were hiding a deep and terrible secret. One that could unravel everything we've ever believed! One that could shake the very fabric of reality to frayed threads in oblivion!"

He hung on the last word, where Rise took the opportunity to kick him in this shin and hiss "_Get on with it_!" under her breath.

"Ow!" the bear yelped. "You don't have to be so mean Rise-chan!" He gulped at another death glare from the idol, and continued wearily. "Uh, I guess we kind of thought it was because of the whole 'being treated like a kid' thing you got bear-y hung up over?"

The detective prince frowned. "Explain."

"I, uh…" He floundered, looking desperately at Rise. "Well, remember your shadow, in the secret base?"

"Yes," Naoto replied, through slightly clenched teeth. "Explicitly."

Teddie was oblivious to the uncomfortable tinge in her voice. "So, we figured, it kept complaining about being treated like a kid, and since it's a reflection of Nao-chan's feelings…"

"What does that possibly have to do with the colour of my hair?" Naoto was firing yet another glare to Teddie now, who whimpered and shrunk into an empty seat.

Rise was "Ugh, we just think you just dye it blue 'cus you're all overdramatic and stuff." she said, exasperated, ignoring the alarm spreading across the accused's face. "But that's not important right now. Something isn't adding up…" She stroked her chin, focussing her attention on both Souji and Naoto. "When I came in," She started, moving to Souji, "You immediately knew what I was talking about when I said 'Grey'. And you," she continued, turning to Naoto on her left, "You just said you were…" She paused, putting on a deeper voice, "_curious about my observations being correct'_." She eyed the pair suspiciously, Naoto glaring back for her terrible impression. "What's going on?"

Souji whistled. "Well, I've got to hand it to you Rise," he said, impressed, "We both guessed you'd get nowhere with this, but between my hair and sussing us out, you haven't done half bad." He nodded to his right. "And history may prove you right about Naoto-kun." As the blue haired girl blushed, Souji smiled warmly. "Unfortunately, _someone_ couldn't be subtle about this- we've known what you were up to since the start."

"W-what?" Rise stumbled backwards slightly. Of course he knew. He was right there in his house, looking straight at them in their hiding place. The whole plan was doomed from the start.

Kanji let his head fall to the table, for the second time that week. "Dammit!" He yelled, which was muffled to an acceptable level by the surface. "That's why we she found us, she was waiting for us!" He stayed down so he wouldn't have to look at the detective who must've thought he was a total idiot now. "This whole friggin' thing was a joke!" He suddenly lurched up and slammed the corner of the table with his palm, growling, "Which one of you spilled?"

"Hey, don't look at me," Chie protested, "You think I liked getting caught too?"

Everyone's eyes wandered to the most likely suspect. He was tilting on his chair and staring into space. Yosuke's voice was incredulous once he noticed all the eyes on him "What? It could've been Yukiko! She never went spying on anyone!"

"Can it Hanamura," Rise repeated, feeling deflated. "Just… stop already…" She sank into the vacant seat next to Teddie. The last time she felt this stupid was during one of her first shows, when the crowd was full of creepy old men, leering and heckling throughout the whole set. The suit, a relic from her trying to look businesslike at contract negotiations, just felt silly now, and she fought to keep her eyes dry. She managed to force out a small chuckle. "So. You must all think I went off the deep end with this, right?"

Chie's nervous laugh was the only response. "Rise-chan, I, uh, can't really call this… normal… behaviour, but I *_think?* _I get it."

Rise looked at her, "You do?"

Naoto, who was completely dumbfounded when she was told about this ridiculous escapade, had her interest piqued. "There's a reason for this madness?"

The attention all on Chie, she was careful to pick her words. "I guess so? It's just like you were saying when we were spying- uh, _outside _Souji's place." She cringed, and then sighed sadly. "Look at us all. The team hasn't met up like this since the fog cleared." Allowing the frustration that had been building between her friends out, she began accusingly moving across the group. "What's your excuse Yukiko?"

Her best friend shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Working at the Inn I guess. But we still hang out all the time."

"Wrong answer, we always hung out, Inn or no Inn." She moved to Kanji. "What's your reason Tatsumi?"

"Uh… The same? With the shop I mean." He neglected to mention his long nights making dioramas of the dungeons with matching Persona's and Shadows. He found himself missing those days despite of himself…

Chie made the sound of a quiz show buzzer. "Sorry, wrong answer again. Naoto-kun?"

Shirogane straightened up. "I have been very busy assisting my grandfather from a distance on a variety of cases."

Chie shook her head. "Nope, not buying it. A detective's kind of useless when they can't go to a crime scene. And from what you've mentioned of your grandpa he wouldn't waste your talent if it'd go to waste like that."

Naoto crossed her arms stubbornly. Unfortunately, Chie was unnervingly correct. Her grandfather had told her she deserved a break after a long case, and no begging or pleading had swayed him. She was stuck solving detective novels from the first chapter to flex her cranial muscles.

"So Seta-kun," Chie continued, "You got an excuse?"

He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, there's nothing. Since December I've stopped making any effort, I just kinda go with the flow about who I spend time with." A frown creased his forehead. "What kind of friend am I if I just ignore everyone once I hit the max of the link…?" He realised he had talked too much, leaving everybody perplexed.

Chie carried on regardless, deciding out of them all, Souji deserved an odd moment every now and then. "Well, at least somebody's honest. Ted? What have you got to say?"

Apropos of nothing, the boy burst into tears. "I'm sorry!" He wailed, causing birds nearby to flutter away, startled. "I've been a bad bear!" Rise gently rubbed his shoulder, which seemed to slowly calm him down. "I'm working all day and everyone is so nice to me I lose track of time then nobody tells me when to stop! There's only so much Teddie to go around!"

Souji rubbed his temples. "I'll remember to give you a seminar on independent living soon, Ted. It's not your fault. Actually, considering you've only lived in this world for a few months, it's quite impressive how you've adapted."

"Yeah, yeah, well, let's round things off." Chie waved, wanting to get to her point. "And finally, there's you, Hanamura. Wake up!"

"What?" As per his usual irritating routine, he had been paying zero attention. "I've been working, that's what I'm always doing. Dude, I work my ass off! My old man should-"

"Can it Hanamura," The team muttered in unison. Chie flopped back on her chair. "You see? We're making all these excuses, but they never stopped us getting together for the investigation! What kind of team are we?"

Yukiko said what they were all thinking. "Would we even all know each other if it wasn't for the case?"

An uncomfortable silence followed, leaving everyone squirming in their seat. Chie decided to break it. "So, my point was going to be that's why Rise started this whole thing. She wasn't really that interested in the whole hair thing (I think?), she just wanted something for us to do together. And apparently the only thing we ever did together was investigating!"

Yukiko frowned. "That's a little unfair. Remember the campout? The, err," she gulped, "Pageant? Oh, and like Rise said, there was the trip to that city…" The heiress suddenly became very quiet.

Chie shrugged. "So what? Are we slaves to school calendar or something? At least Rise actually got us doing something…" She sighed, then weakly laughed. "We got so used to being a team; I guess we forgot how to actually be friends."

Rise smiled sadly in assent. "Yeah, that's it. I've been thinking about how everything's changed for weeks now, without being able to put it together. I had to resort to something drastic. Didn't really know what I was doing, but, I guess it kind of worked…?"

The silence resumed, along with the uncomfortable atmosphere. It was like the fog had returned, though unfortunately, there wasn't a case behind this one. Just the truth, which they'd ignored for weeks, staring them all in the face. Kanji blew air out of his nose. "So. What'd we do now?"

"We try harder." Souji replied resolutely. Sensing he was about to begin one of his rare longer speeches, the group hung onto his every word. "The case is over. Things are different, we have to accept that. But we can't let us drift apart from each other. We are better than that. Besides, I'm not going to be here forever-"

"Oh god Sensei, you're dying?" Teddie gasped, and began to blubber once again. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? We'll go skiing and surfing and skydiving and OH SENSEI DON'T LEAVE US!"

Yosuke hit the blonde on the back of the head. "No you idiot, he's not gonna die, he's just gotta get back to his parents, remember?" _But, _Yosuke thought, _that's still pretty sucky._

Souji shot Teddie a reassuring smile. "No, I'm tougher than that, Ted, you know that." Slightly relieved, Teddie let him continue. "But I won't be here, as much as I want to be. So let's have a good few months, right guys?"

They all nodded, but Yukiko echoed Kanji's earlier question? "So what are we going to do exactly?"

Souji laughed. "Anything! We don't need to follow a script! For example, we've still got to give you girls a half decent cooking class." As the girls all flashed each other scowls, Souji's eyes brightened. "Actually, I've got an idea. The fox usually has me doing some small tasks for him." He smirked at the odd look his friends all gave him. "Don't worry I'll explain later. But it'll give you all something to do when I'm gone, and it'll be much easier with help as it is." He looked down to check his watch. "I've gotta go now, I promised Nanako that I'd officiate a bake-off with her friends, but we'll meet up after school tomorrow to discuss it further." As he stood to leave, he winked to the idol on the opposite side of the table. "Nice job Rise; you went about it an odd way, this is the funnest thing we've done for weeks."

She blushed, and watched him make him exit. The ambiance on the table was noticeably less tense than it was when she arrived. Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "Well, this was fun, but some of us have to pull a six hour shift." He got up, and sauntered over to the entrance of the store, quietly mouthing "Thank you," to Rise as he went past her.

Everyone else took their leave in pairs, Chie with Yukiko, excitedly discussing ideas on the next group activity, and Naoto with Kanji, who was nervously attempting to justify the stakeout yesterday, though Rise figured it was falling upon deaf ears. This left only her and Teddie, and she slouched into her seat. "Well, I didn't see that coming. But things should be better now, right? Cooking class aside…"

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to you Rise-chan!" Teddie looked down at his feet. "Though, I am kind of sad that we're not partners anymore…"

"Oh don't be too hasty there, Ted." She winked at him. "We never got a straight answer out of Naoto-kun, did we?" Her devilish smile was complemented by an innocent one from him. "Now, this is just gonna have to be between us, and no leaks this time right? So, I'm thinking we need to find her grandpa's number, and ask him a few questions…"

The two friends began planning animatedly, while the sun beat down with a gentle intensity. Spring was coming, and the outlook was brighter than ever.

* * *

AN: Well, that's that. Thank you so much for reading or even taking a small interest into this, if you told me a couple months ago I'd have written a 10,000 word story I would have called you crazy, but here we are!

Sorry this one took longer, I had a much harder time getting down to write it. I am also sorry that this never ended up being a real mystery! You can probably tell it's full of little jumbled ideas, and a heck of a lot bloated, but I think I'm probably gonna focus better in my next set of stories. Watch out for 'Ema-taining', short fics following the whole gang helping solve some of the problems left at the shrine. (And I am dreadfully sorry for stealing the pun :L ).  
I've also got a longer form Kan/Nao story sketched out, and some other stuff, not necessarily Persona related. Once again, thanks for reading, and I'll see you on the other side, wherever that may be.


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